It was like stepping into a nightmare, knowing you might never wake up.
The air in the chamber was dead. A static chill that clung to the skin. The great crystal orb was a ruined thing, a web of fractures, its inner light reduced to a feeble, dying pulse. Ren’s knees hit the cold floor. He braced his hands against the stone, his entire frame shaking from the violent overflow of memory. It was a flash flood.
Lyra’s hands were on his shoulders, her grip firm. “Breathe, Ren. Just breathe.” Her voice was a low, urgent thread. She was scared. He could feel the fine tremor in her fingers.
Kael had his sword drawn, his eyes sweeping the dim chamber. “What did it show you?” he asked, his voice clipped. “Visions are one thing. Intel is another.”
Ren dragged a ragged breath. He could still see i
